The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic GamesAugust 8-24 2008
(BEIJING, August 15) -- Belarus trailed earlier in the match but bounced back to defeat the Republic of Korea 63-53 in the preliminary round of the Olympic Women's Basketball tournament on Friday, August 15.
Belarus forward Katsiaryna Snytsina was the top scorer of the game, netting 15 points with five rebounds. Anastasiya Verameyenka came just behind her teammate with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
It was actually the Asian champion who built up the first lead on a 9-0 run in the beginning, but the ROK was only able to take a three-point lead into the second period at 15-12. Belarus soon bounced back to gain the upper hand, going to the half at 33-28. They stayed above the ROK the rest of the game to close it 63-53.
The ROK's loss was partly due to its poor shooting percentage from behind the arc, hitting four of 27 compared to five of 28 by Belarus.
"They were looking for that long three each time down the court," said Belarus forward Tatyana Troina. "But it wasn't their night tonight. It's lucky for us, because those shots are hard to defend."
Belarus had a height advantage over the ROK, allowing them to score more inside. "They are taller than us, and their offense in the paint zone is good," Park Jun-geun commented on her opponents. "Also, our stamina cannot match up with theirs. It was already late when the game started, and this affected us as well."
ROK captain Jung Sun-min tied with teammate Lee Mi-sun, each contributing 10 points. Beon Yeon-ha scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds.
